White Cloud

I'm not sure whether I like the look or not. It looks quite nice...but then it also looks cheapish in a hard to define way. Would be worth a play though.

I have had nothing but great interactions with Thomann My first port of call.

The 80's was a stunning, innovative, exciting and creative time for bass players. There has been no other era to match it imho. This was the era of the Wal, Status, Steinberger, Jaydee, Vigier, Musicman, Alembic etc etc etc. Fenders were widely regarded as seriously boring and uncool. How things have changed.

[quote name='DavidMcKay' timestamp='1416745839' post='2613072'] Thanks White Cloud What could I expect to pay for a job such as this? I'm looking for a ballpark figure, say, something that you would be happy paying if it was you. David [/quote] It is not a big job at all. I honestly don't know what a luthier would charge tbh - perhaps £30-£40 ball park??

I have reflected on this thread overnight. If the bass was mine I would remove the shim and return the bass to standard. The action is obviously still going to be too high due to the inherent nature of the bass and the limitation of the bridge....therefore I would remove the bridge after tracing a fine line around it's perimeter, and using a router carefully rout a 3-4mm deep recess for the bridge to sit in. I would then re-fit the bridge. This would allow for an improved and significant new scope for altering the action ever lower. As a furniture maker I would find this job easy - a half decent luthier would do likewise. Jimmy Moon could do this in his sleep. Problem solved. The only alternative is that you give me the bass and I do it for you....after test driving it for 12 months to make sure that it's ok!

[quote name='DavidMcKay' timestamp='1416696165' post='2612798'] White Cloud Thanks for the steer. I've always felt word of mouth to be a far better barometer of quality and value for money than any other form of advertising so I'll take it to Jimmy Moon then. [/quote] I have used Jimmy for 30 years and he has always gone above and beyond the call of duty. He will see you right! Good luck.

funninily enough I highly recommend Jimmy Moon @ Moon guitars in Glasgow. He is my no1 go to for this type of thing.

[quote name='DavidMcKay' timestamp='1416691250' post='2612747'] White Cloud Which of these two options would you go for? And why? David [/quote] Well, as Skankdelvar has said it is a bit odd that the shim has been added....but it is not an uncommon adaptation on bolt on neck basses. I bought a used Dean Jeff Berlin bass a few years ago and it had an almost identical shim. I removed it and the bass was easy to set up perfectly well without it. I would probably remove the shim - but it is subjective. You own the bass and are best placed to decide whether or not you like the playability as is. Be assured though...this is no big deal in the scheme of things. It is a lovely looking instrument.

I have to say that it seems blatantly obvious to me that this is a genuine Tanglewood Overwater. If you don't like the by-product of the shim you have two options - have the protruding neck extension planed to match the body, or have the shim routered out and the instrument returned to factory originality. Easy peasy jobs for a decent luthier.

The neck has been shimmed to improve the action, it looks to be a good job. This may have happened if the bass was de-fretted to improve playability? The only downside (and it would annoy me) is the fact that the neck extension is not flush and on the same plane as the body...but a half decent luthier would be able to sort that for a small sum of cash!

Fantastic...I love Lakland Skyline basses. The PJ is a winner in my view.

I used to own a Japanese built Eagle during the 80's - it was very good indeed. I can only imagine how good the hand built version would have been. I also love the shape of the Mockingbird...very cool.

Great show.....it was shown a week or so ago on ITV. Well worth watching.

I have owned several Lakland Skyline's and they were all exceptionally good instruments. I have owned many Fenders (including some nice vintages) but would assert that Lakland Skyline's beat US Fender hands down for feel and consistency. Just my tuppence worth.

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1416133108' post='2607098'] My take on it has always been I play for nothing because I love it. I get paid to lug the gear around. Seems to work for me. [/quote] An excellent mindset!

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1415895078' post='2604968'] One of the biggest self-delusions in amateur musicians is the idea that its not having a magical piece of equipment thats holding you back. We've (nearly) all done it---spending hours drooling over the "perfect" piece of gear because its the missing piece of the puzzle when actually the missing piece is (nearly always) just practice. [/quote] This is wisdom. 99% of members of this forum are wholly gear and GAS obsessed - I wonder how many are obsessed with practicing?..............

I always thought that "Head over heals" featured a particularly sublime, masterful bassline. I still think the same.

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1415813266' post='2604048'] Best tone? What was the scientific measure used for best tone? Filed under 'flawed' with all the other tests imo [/quote] A truism....the definition of "good" tone is entirely subjective.

I avoid paypal at all costs for obvious reasons.....

They are worth it if you believe that they are worth it...but not if you think not. It is that simple. It is entirely subjective. In my world the combination of the very finest components and sublime craftsmanship are just that.......countless builders combine these elements to produce breathtaking basses. Some of them (like Fodera) are highly expensive, others (like ACG) are extremely reasonable. The buyer will decide whether the massive price difference is worth paying.

Really nice to read that [i]you are getting better all the time......[/i]brilliant stuff.

Couldn't agree more. Great basses - enjoy!

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1414785048' post='2593379'] I'd love to know what are 'a slightly fuller tone', 'a tighter feel' and 'this slightly stronger sound' that Jamerson didn't have. [/quote] True, Jamerson did indeed sound like Jamerson because he was in fact Jamerson and not not Jamerson. Whether or not Jamerson's sound is regarded as the benchmark of bass sound is another subjective matter altogether. If it is yours then that's great...but with all due respect to Jamerson he isn't mine.